When I was young the person I looked up to was Fireman Sam, any time his show was on I would dash downstairs and not dare to move from the TV until the show was over, my mom even told me that I would throw a huge tantrum any time it finished.
My mum would always say “If you don’t go to bed Fireman Sam won’t be happy” “Not Fireman Sam!” I would shout out then I would sprint right up to my bed and fall asleep as fast as I could, if you told me that Fireman Sam said the sky was orange, I would believe it.
However, this hasn’t changed at all since we’ve gotten older we still have people we see to be higher up than us, for example, have you gone to the doctors and argued all day about how they do their procedure?
Probably not, in fact, I bet you didn’t even say a word, since you told yourself that he or she is a professional and must know what’s best for me? Or have you used the phrase “But the doctor told me to…” I’m sure we all have at one point.
But why is that? The main reason is they have a sense of dominance in the niche they specialize, in this gives a type of aura that this person must know what he or she is talking about just by looking at all the fancy certificates.
Another is a quote I picked up from Dan Lok and it was…
“If you call a prospect you are the salesperson, but if a prospect calls, you’re an expert”
– Dan Lok
This is true in all aspects of life, when you’re entering someone else’s territory it feels intimidating so you shrink down, listen and follow what they have to say with little to no question, however, if someone was to come into your domain then you would feel a sense of superiority.
But this can become very dangerous.
How? The main reason is when people see this huge authority figure and just take their word for anything, they hear without doing any due diligence.
This leads to a lot of people following and taking on someone’s advice which may lead to a complete disaster once they realize they were wrong or a huge fake.
All because the other person looked like they knew better, this is why one of you reading this has probably been scammed in some shape or form by an online course or investment advice, since you believed that the person seemed knowledgeable just to find out a few grand later that they were useless.
I know it sounds odd to say that professionals aren’t who they say they are but everyone makes mistakes, and some people are just clueless, this is why you should not ignore having your eyes peeled when you see someone who may look like or claims to be a professional in something.
This is a great example of professionals who can still get things wrong.
In summary, the poor baby was trying to get the salt he needed to survive, but the professional doctors said this is not a good idea, so they took him on a low salt diet, shortly after the baby unfortunately died.
The reason I share this with you is not to rain down on people who work hard in a certain industry, it’s for all us entrepreneurs to remember to do this one thing.
QUESTION
That’s all I’m asking is for you to do is question the professional you are with, if he or she is a professional then they should be fine to answer your questions, a real professional is there to help you, not to make you feel like you need to shut up.
This is seen a lot now, we have people questioning everything from the education system, religion, being financially free, rights, and even their gender. There is no harm if you ask a question to the person you are going to be putting your trust in?
So, how do I know if someone is fake?
It’s really simple just ask yourself this question.
Does this person still live what they do? And what is their motive for helping me?
If you ask yourself this question, you’re going to be a lot more vigilant in what you hear and see, if the person you’re going to invest time and money into doesn’t even do what they say, can you believe that they’re a professional?
And if the professional is only after getting what they want, do you think he or she is going to put your interest first or theirs?
You see this a lot with these bitcoin scams, where people look like they are highly rich and intelligent investors, when truthfully, they are just trying to take people’s money or got super lucky.
So, next time you are looking at following a professional in anything, ask yourself those two questions, who knows they might just save you.
WRAPPING UP
I don’t have a grudge against people who are professionals and sell their knowledge, or are very skilled in what they do, or else they wouldn’t be where they are.
All I’m saving is that you should never jump into what someone says just because they look or sound like they know what they’re talking about, or else you may be met with a nasty surprise.
So, please for your own sake, it doesn’t harm to ask some questions and educate yourself before you dive right into something, as an entrepreneur we shouldn’t pounce onto every new thing that hits the market.
Before you start to even consider an idea go through a mental checklist.
Just remember this simple quote, it’s from the Bible Matthew 15:14
Here is a video from Mindvalley that talks about how even doctors can be mistaken and lied to by the very people they call “Professionals” (No I don’t hate doctors, they’re just a good example).
IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU WERE AFFECTED BY DUMB ADVICE FROM SOMEONE YOU BELIEVED WAS A PROFESSIONAL, PLEASE SHARE IT IN THE DISCUSSION BOX.
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